Multifunctional Operating Device

ABSTRACT

In a method and devices, data for the display of an application on a screen is provided. In addition, information with regard to a degree of distraction of the application, e.g., information regarding user-interface elements, and/or information regarding a degree of distraction of a driver of a vehicle ( 110 ) is provided. As a function of this information and a driving situation of the vehicle, it is decided whether the application will be displayed on the screen.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 14/002,230, filed on Aug. 29, 2013, which is a national phaseof PCT International Patent Application No. PCT/EP2012/000973, filed onMar. 5, 2012, which claims priority to German Patent Application No. 102011 112 445.8, filed on Sep. 3, 2011, and to German Patent ApplicationNo. 10 2011 013 757.2, filed on Mar. 12, 2011, each of which isexpressly incorporated herein in its entirety by reference thereto.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present patent application relates to a multifunctional operatingdevice as well as a method for operating such a multifunctionaloperating device in vehicles, for example, in motor vehicles, andvehicles equipped accordingly.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Multifunctional elements and multifunctional operating devices for motorvehicles are known in various form. Using such multifunctional operatingdevices, different units in a motor vehicle, for example, radio, CDplayer, navigation system, on-board computer or telephone system, areable to be controlled by a single operating device. Multifunctionaloperating devices are described, for instance, in European PublishedPatent Application No. 0 701 926, which describes a multifunctionaloperating device in which a screen as well as one or more keypads areused.

A further multifunctional operating device is described in GermanPublished Patent Application No. 199 41 963, in which likewise a screenas well as control buttons located on the edge of the screen are used.

A further possibility for operative control, which is being usedincreasingly in the case of electronic devices, is operative controlwith the aid of touch-sensitive screens, referred to as touchscreens.Here, operating elements such as push buttons or slide controls are ableto be displayed directly on the touch-sensitive screen and operated bytouching this screen. For example, the use of such touchscreens iswidespread in mobile phones. In this manner, various operator interfacesfor operating different functions and devices may be displayed flexiblyon the screen.

However, in using a multifunctional operating device having atouch-sensitive screen for displaying different operator interfaces, theproblem may arise that for many applications, the operator interface isso complex that, for example, the operative control could distract adriver of a motor vehicle to such an extent that safe driving of thevehicle would no longer be ensured.

In particular, such a distraction of the driver may occur if themultifunctional operating device is used as client and the applicationis running on a server; in many cases, the server may also be a mobiletelephone, so that in such a case, an application of the mobiletelephone is displayed on the multifunctional operating device. As arule, such applications on mobile telephones are not optimized for usein a vehicle and may therefore lead especially easily to a distraction.

Regarding this, it is described in German Published Patent ApplicationNo. 100 39 795 to generally monitor the attentiveness of a driver and tooutput a warning, if necessary. U.S. Pat. No. 6,262,657 describeswarning a driver if telephoning using a mobile telephone is leading toan unstable driving situation.

SUMMARY

Example embodiments of the present invention provide operating devicesand corresponding methods, using which, the risk of a driver in a motorvehicle becoming distracted is reduced.

A method according to an example embodiment of the present inventionincludes: providing data for the display of an application on a screen,providing information with regard to a degree of distraction, anddisplaying the application on the screen as a function of theinformation regarding the degree of distraction and a driving situationof a vehicle.

The display of the application as a function of the information withregard to the degree of distraction and a driving situation of thevehicle may include a decision as to whether the application isdisplayed on the screen.

The provision of information with regard to a degree of distraction mayinclude providing information regarding a degree of distraction of orcaused by the application, that is, the provision of information whichis characteristic for how much the application is capable of distractinga driver or other operator of the application.

In this manner, it is possible to decide in a flexible manner whetherand how the application may be displayed on the screen in a specificdriving situation, without unacceptably impairing driving safety.

In particular, the provision of information regarding the degree ofdistraction may include providing information with respect touser-interface elements of the application to be displayed on thescreen. In this context, for example, a multitude of user-interfaceelements, small user-interface elements and/or user-interface elementscomplicated to operate portend a higher degree of distraction.

In addition, the method may include calculating a size of theuser-interface elements on the screen, since an application may possiblybe displayed on various screen sizes, and therefore the degree ofdistraction may also depend on the size of the screen.

Moreover, the method may include determining a maximum number ofuser-interface elements. For instance, the information with regard touser-interface elements may reveal that in many cases, feweruser-interface elements, and in other cases, more user-interfaceelements are displayed. For example, the maximum number ofuser-interface elements may then be used for the decision.

In addition to or as an alternative to information with regard to thedegree of distraction of the application, the provision of informationregarding a degree of distraction may also include the acquisition ofinformation concerning a degree of distraction of a driver of thevehicle on the basis of sensor information, e.g., on the basis ofpictures from a camera or on the basis of information of operatingelements of the vehicle. By evaluating the sensor information, movementpatterns of the driver may be determined, for instance, which indicate adistraction.

The provision of data for the display of an application and/or theprovision of information with regard to the degree of distraction mayinclude transmission of the data by a server to a client, the clientincluding the screen. For instance, the decision may then be made in theclient. However, a decision on the part of the server is also possible.

In many example embodiments, the provision of information regarding thedegree of distraction and the display of the application as a functionof the information are only carried out if the application is anapplication foreign to the vehicle, that is, an application notpermanently provided in the vehicle. For instance, such applicationsforeign to the vehicle may be transmitted by a server foreign to thevehicle, e.g., a mobile telephone, to the client including the screen.

In so doing, data for the display of the application on the screen maybe transmitted, in particular, according to the Terminal Mode Standard.

In addition, the display may be implemented as a function of a positionof the screen in a vehicle. For example, screens to which a driver hasaccess are more critical than screens which are available only torear-seat occupants, for instance.

In particular, the driving situation may be moving of the vehicle orstanding of the vehicle and/or a state of an ignition of the vehicle.The speed of the vehicle or a use of driver assistants may also be takeninto account.

Corresponding devices, particularly corresponding clients andcorresponding servers, are likewise provided.

Example embodiments of the present invention are explained in greaterdetail below with reference to the appended Figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a vehicle having a system according toan exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart for illustrating a method according to anexemplary embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart for illustrating a method according to a furtherexemplary embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following, exemplary embodiments of the present invention aredescribed in more detail with reference to the attached Figures. Itshould be noted that these exemplary embodiments serve only as exampleand are not to be interpreted as restrictive. In particular, thedescription of an exemplary embodiment having a multitude of features isnot to be interpreted to the effect that all these features arenecessary, since other exemplary embodiments may have fewer featuresand/or alternative features. In addition, it should be mentioned thatfeatures of different exemplary embodiments may be combined with eachother, provided nothing otherwise is indicated.

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a vehicle 110, e.g., a motor vehicle,which includes a system 10 through 19 according to an example embodimentof the present invention. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated inFIG. 1, the system includes a control device 10 which, as explained ingreater detail below, acts as a server, and a multifunctional operatingdevice 13 which acts as a client.

Control device 10 may be equipped to control one or more functions invehicle 110. Examples for such functions are, for instance, a radiofunction, an on-board computer, a telephone function, a navigationsystem, a CD player or a heater of the motor vehicle. In the exemplaryembodiment illustrated, control device 10 includes a processor 11 and amemory 12, programs being able to be stored in memory 12 which, whenexecuted on processor 11, implement the control functions of controldevice 10.

Multifunctional operating device 13 includes a screen 14 which, in theexemplary embodiment illustrated, is a touch-sensitive screen referredto as a touchscreen.

For the operative control of control functions of control device 10 by auser, e.g., a driver of vehicle 110, data for the display of acorresponding application, particularly an operator interface for theapplication, is transmitted by control device 10 to screen 14. Asexample, a control knob 15 which, for example, may be operated by acircular movement of a finger on the screen, various buttons 16, adisplay area 17 for the display of data and a slide control 18 areillustrated on screen 14 in FIG. 1. One or more of the control functionsof control device 10 may be operated by a user using these operatingelements. In this context, both a combined representation of severalcontrol functions, i.e., operating elements for different controlfunctions, in a single display, as well as a change of therepresentation between different control functions are possible. Besidesthe user-interface elements shown on screen 14, further “hardware”user-interface elements such as buttons or control knobs may also bemade available in multifunctional operating device 13.

For example, the transmission between control device 10 acting as serverand multifunctional operating device 13 acting as terminal may becarried out according to the Terminal Mode Standard. The transmissionmay also take place via a video interface and/or a data interface.

Additionally or as an alternative to the data which multifunctionaloperating device 14 receives from control device 10, multifunctionaloperating device 13 may also receive data for the display of anapplication from a mobile device 111, e.g., a mobile telephone, which isable to be coupled to multifunctional operating device 13 via aninterface 112. In particular, modern mobile telephones, what are termedsmart phones, are able to display a multitude of applications which mayalso be games or videos, for example. The data from mobile device 111may also be transmitted to multifunctional operating device 13 accordingto the Terminal Mode Standard, for instance.

In exemplary embodiments, mobile device 111 may also transmit data fordisplay on multifunctional operating device 14 to control device 10according to the Terminal Mode Standard, for example, and control device10, as a function of this data, may then drive multifunctional operatingdevice 13, using the video interface and/or data interface alreadymentioned, for instance, for the display of a corresponding application.

Together with the data for the display of the application, in theexemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, control device 10 and/ormobile device 111 transmit(s) information which identifies a degree ofdistraction of the application, to multifunctional operating device 13.As a function of this information and a driving situation which themultifunctional operating device receives, as indicated by an arrow 19,multifunctional operating device 13 decides about the display of theapplication, e.g., whether the application, in this case, the operatorinterface, will be displayed on the screen. For instance, the drivingsituation may describe whether the vehicle is stationary or is moving,e.g., by receiving a signal from a speedometer of the vehicle. Inexemplary embodiments, a corresponding signal may also be delivered viacontrol device 10. For instance, an operator interface whose degree ofdistraction exceeds a predefined threshold value may no longer bedisplayed if the vehicle is moving, while such an operator interface orapplication is displayed if a vehicle is stationary. A further examplefor a driving situation is the ignition being on or off, so that it maybe determined that the vehicle is not only stationary, but is alsoswitched off.

In particular, the information regarding the degree of distraction mayinclude information about the user-interface elements to be displayed onthe screen such as elements 15 through 18, i.e., operating elements andelements conveying information. Such user-interface elements are alsoreferred to as GUI (General User Interface) elements. In particular,which user-interface elements are to be displayed and what size they aremay be indicated in the information regarding the degree of distraction.To that end, control device 10 and/or multifunctional operating device13 may determine the actual displayed size of the user-interfaceelements as a function of a size of screen 14. For example, manyuser-interface elements and/or small user-interface elements indicate ahigh degree of distraction, while few user-interface elements and/orlarge user-interface elements point to a low degree of distraction.

Thus, for example, the number of user-interface elements or the size ofthe user-interface elements may be compared to a specific predefinedthreshold value; this threshold value may be a function of the drivingsituation.

It should be mentioned that the threshold values above or the decisionas to whether the display is implemented may also depend on theplacement of multifunctional operating device 13 in vehicle 110. Forexample, a multifunctional operating device which is positioned suchthat it can only be operated by a front-seat passenger or even only byrear-seat occupants of a motor vehicle is less critical than amultifunctional operating device which is positioned for operativecontrol by a driver.

It should also be noted that in the case of many exemplary embodiments,the transmission of information which indicates a degree of distractionof the application, and the corresponding evaluation of this informationare carried out only for mobile device 111, but not for control device10. In the case of such exemplary embodiments, it is assumed that only avehicle's own applications, which are provided especially for use in avehicle and therefore generally feature only a relatively small degreeof distraction, come to be displayed by control device 10, which isinstalled permanently in the vehicle. In contrast, applications whichcome from mobile device 111 are applications foreign to the vehicle overwhich the vehicle manufacturer has no control, for example, and which,at least in many cases, are not provided for use in a vehicle,especially in a moving vehicle, and which therefore show a tendency to ahigher degree of distraction. It is also possible to carry out theprocedure described above both for control device 10 and for mobile

In addition, it should be mentioned that in the case of many exemplaryembodiments, not all applications running on multifunctional operatingdevice 13 must come from a server such as control device 10 or mobiledevice 111, but rather may also be permanently installed on themultifunctional operating device. For example, basic functions of thevehicle such as radio or air conditioner may be operable using suchpermanently installed applications. In the case of many exemplaryembodiments, no check is carried out for such applications either.Applications for the operative control of such basic vehicle functionsmay likewise be transmitted by control device 10.

It should also be mentioned that in the case of many exemplaryembodiments, if the degree of distraction of the application exceeds apredefined threshold value, an operator may be asked whether theapplication should be displayed. The user, e.g., the driver of thevehicle, may then decide, as it were, to allow the application to run athis/her own risk. However, it should be observed that this is optional,and in the case of other exemplary embodiments, for safety reasons, anapplication whose degree of distraction exceeds a threshold valuepredefined, for example, as a function of a driving situation, is notdisplayed as a general principle.

If, on the basis of its degree of distraction, an application is notdisplayed, in the case of many applications, an alternative application,e.g., a vehicle's own application such as a radio application, may bedisplayed.

In the following, a few examples for information about user-interfaceelements which may represent information with regard to the degree ofdistraction of the application are explained. For example, in manyapplications, a so-called menu may be displayed on the screen. Such amenu may be displayed in display area 17, for instance, and/or includeseveral buttons such as buttons 16. In this case, the informationregarding the user-interface elements may include a (maximum) number ofmenu levels, a maximum number of visible elements and/or a maximumnumber of interactive elements such as buttons or input fields; forexample, the aforesaid information may be conveyed in the form ofinteger numerical values. The greater these numbers, the higher thedegree of distraction may be rated. Furthermore, information may be sentwhich indicates whether interactive elements are highlighted by color orthree-dimensional display, for example, whether in the case ofinteractive elements, an audio feedback, i.e., an acoustical returnsignal is implemented when the element is operated, and/or whether inthe case of various ways of operating, different actions are able to betriggered using one interactive element, for example, by pressing thesame control button briefly or for a long time. This information may beconveyed as yes/no values. Highlighting interactive elements and anacoustical feedback facilitate the operative control and thereforereduce the degree of distraction, while interactive elements which areoperable in varied manner may increase the degree of distraction.

The user-interface elements may also contain text, in which case,information regarding the text may be conveyed. For instance, it may beconveyed whether animated text is used (e.g., in the form of a yes/novalue), for example, blinking alphabetic characters, the number ofdifferent text sizes in a menu and/or on a screen may be conveyed, e.g.,as an integer value; it may be conveyed whether highlighted text is used(e.g., as yes/no value); it may be conveyed whether running text, i.e.,text moving through a window, is used (as yes/no value), and in thiscase, additionally as an option, it may be indicated as an integervalue, for example, how long it takes until the text has completely runthrough. The use of animated text, of different text sizes in a menu,the use of running text, especially if it takes longer until the texthas run through, may increase the degree of distraction. The use ofhighlighted text may at least sometimes reduce the degree ofdistraction, since it is then easier to recognize important passages.

In addition, it may be indicated in the form of a yes/no value, whethera text input is needed, which may increase the degree of distraction. Ifthis is the case, it may be indicated, for example, whether help isavailable for the text input, e.g., a phonetic alphabet program or avoice input, which may reduce the degree of distraction. Finally, thetotal number of alphabetic characters displayed or the maximum number ofalphabetic characters displayed for an application on the screen may beindicated, in doing which, a higher number of alphabetic characters maybe associated with a higher degree of distraction since, for example, itmay take longer to read the entire text.

With respect to the alphabetic characters used in such texts, a minimumheight and/or a minimum width may be indicated, in each case as aninteger value; as mentioned above, for example, the height and width maybe calculated as a function of the size and/or resolution of the screen,e.g., by the respective server, in the case of FIG. 1, by control device10. In general, greater values signify easier readability and thereforea lower degree of distraction. In addition, it may be conveyed in theform of a yes/no value, for example, whether optimized type sizes may beused, e.g., by utilizing scalable fonts, which may facilitatereadability and therefore may reduce the degree of distraction.

Likewise, in many exemplary embodiments, images may be displayed on thescreen of the multifunctional operating device. In this case, themaximum number of images displayed, the minimum height of the smallestimage, for example, and the minimum width of the smallest image, forexample, may be conveyed as information, in doing which, thisinformation may in each instance be conveyed as integer values. Asexplained above for the alphabetic-character sizes, height and width maybe ascertained as a function of a screen size and screen resolution. Ahigher number of images or smaller images may be associated with ahigher degree of distraction.

The information about user-interface elements may also includeinformation about lists to be displayed. For example, such lists may beused when a user selects one or more elements from a plurality ofelements. In particular, different yes/no information may be conveyedwhich indicates the availability of various possibilities for theoperative control of such lists.

For example, it may be indicated whether a list may be scrolled bypressing the screen a long time at suitable locations, whether it ispossible to change the scroll speed by long pressing and/or by slidingalong with the finger, or whether what is referred to as a scrollbar isavailable. Such elements may simplify the operative control. Inaddition, it may be indicated whether swiveling of the list isavailable, e.g., with the aid of arrows, whether the use of a cursor issupported, that is, a marking for the input of text, whether buttons areused in the list and/or whether it is necessary to scroll the list inorder to reach such buttons. As a rule, the use of buttons as well asscrolling to reach such buttons makes the operative control of a listmore difficult and may therefore increase the degree of distraction.

Information with respect to buttons used may also be conveyed as anexample for information regarding user-interface elements. For example,links, e.g., in the case of the display of Internet pages, may also becounted among such buttons, since upon pressing on such a link, anaction, e.g., the display of a corresponding new page, is triggered.

For example, a minimum height and a minimum width of buttons used may betransmitted; as already explained above for characters or images, theminimum height and minimum width may be calculated as a function of ascreen size and/or screen resolution. Larger buttons simplify theoperative control and correspond to a lower degree of distractionaccordingly.

In addition, a distance between two interactive areas on the screen maybe passed on as an integer value, this distance in turn being able to becalculated as a function of the screen size. Furthermore, the principleaccording to which buttons operate may be indicated, for example,whether an action is triggered by pressing the button, an action istriggered by releasing a button, or both. Finally, the number of togglebuttons on a screen of an application may be forwarded as integer value;in general, a higher number of buttons may make the operative controlmore difficult, and thus is associated with a greater degree ofdistraction.

Furthermore, it may be passed on as a yes/no value, whether slidecontrols such as slide control 18 in FIG. 1 are used. In the samemanner, it may be forwarded as a yes/no value, whether progress bars areused in the case of activities taking a long time; such a progress barmay represent a distraction. The use of pictograms, referred to asicons, may also be characterized by one or more variables. For example,the number of such pictograms, the minimum height of pictograms used orthe minimum width of pictograms used, may in each case be transmitted asan integer value, in so doing, the minimum height and the minimum widthmay each be passed on as an integer value. As explained above, heightand width may in turn be calculated as a function of the screen sizeand/or screen resolution.

In addition, it may be passed on in the form of a yes/no value, whethera specific application supports a special service mode for vehicles,e.g., a service mode in which the operative control is simplified.

A time, e.g., in milliseconds, between the beginning of an interactionand the receipt of a visual or acoustical return signal may likewise beforwarded; a higher value may increase the degree of distraction.Furthermore, it may be transmitted in the form of a yes/no value,whether a specific application uses content from the Internet,especially from the World Wide Web, which in particular, is outside ofthe control of the application. The use of such elements may increasethe degree of distraction.

Finally, it may be indicated in the form of a yes/no value, whethernon-standard user-interface elements, referred to as soft DDS, forexample, are used. The use of such non-standardized elements maylikewise increase the degree of distraction.

The examples above for information with regard to user-interfaceelements may be used individually or together in different exemplaryembodiments. In the case of other exemplary embodiments, on the basis ofthe user-interface elements employed, for example, a single value whichidentifies the degree of distraction may be provided, e.g., by amanufacturer of an application, and utilized.

In exemplary embodiments, information with regard to a degree ofdistraction may already be information as to whether an application maybe displayed in a specific driving situation. For instance, suchinformation may include a certification of a specific application, thecertification being provided by a certified authority which certifieswith a corresponding certificate, for example, that the application isallowed to be displayed in a specific driving situation. Upon anintended start of the application, for instance, by a user input, in thecase of many exemplary embodiments, the certificate may then betransmitted to multifunctional operating device 14 and/or control device10 (if the application runs on mobile device 111). In exemplaryembodiments, for example, in the case of an application, mobile device111 itself may check whether the application is certified for a givendriving situation, and then merely inform multifunctional operatingdevice 14 and/or control device 10 as to whether the application may bestarted. Such a certification may also be provided as a function of thevehicle, so that the application may be executed not only as a functionof the driving situation, but also depending on the specific type ofvehicle. However, such information regarding the compatibility of theapplication with specific types of vehicles may also be providedindependently of a certification.

It should further be noted that the exemplary embodiment illustrated inFIG. 1 is to be understood only as an example, and different variationsare possible. For example, more than one control device or variousservers may be present which transmit data regarding differentapplications to multifunctional operating device 13 or to control device10. On the other hand, several multifunctional operating devices 13 mayalso be present in vehicle 110, for instance, for different occupants ofthe vehicle. In this case, as already explained, whether a specificapplication is displayed in a specific driving situation may depend onthe positioning of the multifunctional operating device.

While in the case of the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, thedecision as to whether an application, particularly a user interface, isdisplayed, is made in multifunctional operating device 13, in otherexemplary embodiments, this decision may also be made in control device10, in doing which, the same information, i.e., information regardingthe degree of distraction and data about the driving situation may beutilized for that purpose.

FIG. 2 shows an exemplary embodiment of a method by which, for example,the functions discussed above may be implemented in the applicationdescribed with reference to FIG. 1.

In step 20, data for the display of an application is provided, e.g., bycontrol device 10 or mobile device 111, for multifunctional operatingdevice 13.

In step 21, information about user-interface elements or otherinformation regarding a degree of distraction of the application isprovided, e.g., likewise by control device 10 of FIG. 1 tomultifunctional operating device 13 of FIG. 1.

In step 22, as a function of the information of step 21 and a drivingsituation, it is decided whether the application will be displayed on ascreen.

The variations and modifications discussed with reference to FIG. 1 arelikewise applicable to the method illustrated in FIG. 2.

In the exemplary embodiments discussed above, information about thedegree of distraction of an application is evaluated in order to decideabout the display of the application, especially about whether or notthe application will be displayed. In the case of the exemplaryembodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, as explained in greater detailhereinafter, in addition, the possibility is provided to determine adegree of distraction of a driver of a vehicle on the basis of sensordata, and to make a decision about the display of the applicationadditionally as a function of the degree of distraction of the driver.

In this context, it should be mentioned that these two possibilities,i.e., decision on the basis of information with regard to the degree ofdistraction of the application and decision on the basis of informationabout a degree of distraction of a driver, may not only be implementedtogether as in the case of the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG.1, but rather that the two possibilities may also be implementedseparately from each other. In other words, in many exemplaryembodiments, only a decision on the basis of a degree of distraction ofthe application is used, in many exemplary embodiments, only a decisionon the basis of information about a degree of distraction of the driveris used, and in many exemplary embodiments, both are used.

In particular, the device installed in vehicle 110 in FIG. 1 has acamera with which pictures of a driver of the vehicle may be taken. Thepictures are supplied to an evaluation device 113. It should be notedthat evaluation device 113 may also be integrated in multifunctionaloperating device 13 or in control device 10, that is, does not have tobe a separate element. Additionally or alternatively, signals fromvarious operating elements of vehicle 110 may be supplied to evaluationdevice 113, corresponding sensors of the operating elements beingsymbolized by one element 114. For example, data from a steering-anglesensor or data from sensors which evaluate pedal positions of theaccelerator or of the brake pedal, for instance, may be provided bysensors 114.

Evaluation device 113 evaluates signals from camera 115 and/or fromsensors 114 in order to obtain information regarding a degree ofdistraction of a driver of vehicle 110.

In this context, camera 115 may be a camera which is sensitive tovisible light, but may also be an infrared camera. For example, camera115 may be mounted on a steering column of vehicle 110 or on an insideroof lining of vehicle 110. In general, however, any positioning ofcamera 115 is possible, so long as the driver of vehicle 110 is able tobe captured.

For instance, evaluation device 113 may evaluate pictures from thecamera in order to check whether and for what portion of time the eye ofthe driver is directed toward the road. It may also be analyzed, howfrequently the driver directs his eyes away from the road. The less theeye is directed toward the road, the higher the degree of distraction ofthe driver may be graded. In particular, it may also be determinedwhether the eye of the driver, and therefore the attention of thedriver, is directed toward screen 14.

In addition or alternatively, evaluation device 113 may evaluateinformation from sensors 114 to thus analyze a driving behavior of thedriver, e.g., his/her steering behavior, behavior in operating thepedals or perhaps a velocity behavior. For example, more frequent jerkysteering-wheel motions may point to a high degree of distraction.

Similarly as above for the information with regard to the degree ofdistraction of the application, a decision may then also be made aboutthe display of the application on the basis of the information about thedegree of distraction of the driver, and in particular, the applicationmay not be displayed or a display of the application may be ended if thedegree of distraction of the driver exceeds a predefined thresholdvalue. Optionally, a warning may also be output, for example, on screen14, and/or it may be queried via screen 14, for instance, whether theapplication should continue to be displayed, so that the driver can thendecide to allow the application to keep running on his/her ownresponsibility.

Similar to the evaluation of the degree of distraction of theapplication, the device illustrated in FIG. 1 may also be configuredsuch that evaluation device 113 is only activated when an applicationforeign to the vehicle, e.g., an application supplied by mobile device111, is displayed or should be displayed on screen 14, and/or when thedriver of the vehicle interacts with multifunctional operating device13. Upon detection of a distraction, a switchover may then be made to avehicle's own application, for instance.

In FIG. 3, an exemplary embodiment of a method is illustrated whichrepresents an example for the evaluation of a degree of distraction of adriver explained above, and which may be implemented in the device ofFIG. 1, for instance, but is also usable independently of it.

In step 30, data is provided, e.g., by control device 10 of FIG. 1 or bymobile device of FIG. 1, for the display of an application.

In step 31, a degree of distraction of a driver of a vehicle isascertained, e.g., by evaluation device 113 of FIG. 1.

In step 32, it is checked whether the degree of distraction of thedriver is high, for example, exceeds a predefined threshold value. Ifno, in step 33, the application is displayed normally or the applicationcontinues to be displayed. If the degree of distraction is high, in step34, it is queried whether the application should be displayed, that is,the driver of the vehicle is asked to confirm the display. If it isconfirmed that the application should be displayed, in step 33, theapplication is in turn displayed. If no, in step 35, the application isnot displayed, and optionally, an alternative application is displayed.

In view of the variations and modifications discussed, it should beappreciated that a multitude of variations is possible, and thereforethe scope hereof is not limited to the exemplary embodiments presented.

1. A method for displaying an application in a vehicle, comprising:providing data for displaying an application on a screen; defining athreshold distraction value as a function of a driving situation of thevehicle; providing information relating to a degree of applicationdistraction based on user-interface elements of the application;determining the degree of application distraction based on the providedinformation relating to the degree of application distraction, whereinthe degree of application distraction is increased by applicationsrequiring text input, and wherein the degree of application distractionis decreased by at least one of applications including highlighting ofinteractive elements or text, acoustical feedback, phonetic alphabettext input, and/or voice input; wherein the driver interaction with theapplication causes the degree of application distraction to bedetermined; comparing the determined degree of application distractionto the threshold distraction value; and if the determined degree ofapplication distraction is less than the threshold distraction value,displaying the application on the screen, and if the determined degreeof application distraction is more than the threshold distraction value,preventing the display of the application on the screen.
 2. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the information relating to the degree ofapplication distraction includes information about a user-interface ofthe application.
 3. The method according to claim 2, further comprisingcalculating a size of user-interface elements as a function of a sizeand/or a resolution of the screen, the size of the user-interfaceelements indicating the degree of application distraction.
 4. The methodaccording to claim 2, wherein the displaying is implemented as afunction of a size of user-interface elements, a number ofuser-interface elements, and/or a form of user-interface elements. 5.The method according to claim 1, wherein the providing of theinformation relating to the degree of application distraction includestransmitting the information by a server to a client including thescreen.
 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the informationrelating to a degree of application distraction includes a certificateof the application or information derived from the certificate.
 7. Themethod according to claim 1, wherein the driving situation includes amoving vehicle, a stationary vehicle, a vehicle with ignition switchedoff, and/or a vehicle with ignition switched on.
 8. The method accordingto claim 1, wherein the providing of data for the display of anapplication includes transmitting the data by a server to a clientincluding the screen.
 9. The method according to claim 1, wherein theproviding of information and the display as a function of theinformation are only carried out when the application is an applicationforeign to the vehicle.
 10. The method according to claim 9, wherein theproviding of data for the display of an application includestransmitting the data by a server to a client including the screen, andwherein it is determined that an application is an application foreignto the vehicle if the server is a server foreign to the vehicle.
 11. Themethod according to claim 1, wherein the display is implemented as afunction of a position of the screen in the vehicle.
 12. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the display is implemented as a functionof a type of the vehicle.
 13. The method according to claim 1, whereinthe displaying of the application on the screen includes displaying awarning as a function of the information relating to the degree ofapplication distraction.
 14. The method according to claim 1, whereinthe displaying of the application as a function of the informationrelating to the degree of application distraction includes querying to auser as to whether the application should be displayed, as a function ofthe degree of application distraction.
 15. The method according to claim1, wherein if the degree of application distraction exceeds a firstthreshold value, displaying a warning on the screen, and if the degreeof application distraction exceeds a second threshold value, restrictingthe display of the application.
 16. A device, comprising: a screen; andan operating device adapted to receive data for displaying anapplication on the screen, to define a threshold distraction value as afunction of a driving situation of the vehicle, to receive informationrelating to a degree of application distraction based on user-interfaceelements of the application, to determine the degree of applicationdistraction based on the provided information relating to the degree ofapplication distraction, wherein the degree of application distractionis increased by applications requiring text input, and wherein thedegree of application distraction is decreased by at least one ofapplications including highlighting of interactive elements or text,acoustical feedback, phonetic alphabet text input, and/or voice input,to compare the determined degree of application distraction to thethreshold distraction value, wherein the driver interaction with theapplication causes the degree of application distraction to bedetermined; and, if the determined degree of application distraction isless than the threshold distraction value, to display the application onthe screen, and if the determined degree of application distraction ismore than the threshold distraction value, to prevent the display of theapplication on the screen.
 17. The device according to claim 16, furthercomprising a controller adapted to transmit the data for the display ofthe application and/or to transmit the information relating to thedegree of application distraction.
 18. The device according to claim 16,wherein the device is adapted to perform a method for displaying theapplication in a vehicle, the method including: providing the data fordisplaying the application on the screen; providing the informationrelating to the degree of application distraction; and displaying theapplication on the screen as a function of the information relating tothe degree of application distraction and the driving situation of thevehicle.
 19. A device, comprising: a controller adapted to transmit datato display an application on a screen of a client; an evaluator adaptedto evaluate information relating to a degree of distraction, wherein theevaluating includes determining (a) a degree of application distractionrepresenting a degree to which the application is distracting based onuser-interface elements of the application, wherein the degree ofapplication distraction is increased by applications requiring textinput, and wherein the degree of application distraction is decreased byat least one of applications including highlighting of interactiveelements or text, acoustical feedback, phonetic alphabet text input,and/or voice input, and (b) a degree of driver distraction representinga degree to which the driver is distracted on the basis of at least oneof a camera monitoring the direction of the driver's vision, a steeringangle sensor, and/or a pedal position sensor; and a processor adapted todecide about the display of the application on the screen as a functionof the information relating to the degree of distraction and a drivingsituation; wherein the evaluator is adapted to determine the degree ofdistraction in response to driver interaction with the application. 20.The device according to claim 19, wherein the device is adapted toperform a method for displaying the application in a vehicle, the methodincluding: providing the data for displaying the application on thescreen; providing the information relating to the degree of distraction;and displaying the application on the screen as a function of theinformation relating to the degree of distraction and the drivingsituation of the vehicle.
 21. The device according to claim 19, whereinthe degree of driver distraction is determined when the application isforeign to the vehicle.
 22. A method for displaying an application in avehicle, comprising: providing data for displaying an application on ascreen; defining a threshold distraction value; providing informationrelating to a degree of driver distraction on the basis of at least oneof a camera monitoring the direction of the driver's vision, a steeringangle sensor, and/or a pedal position sensor; determining the degree ofdriver distraction based on the provided information relating to thedegree of driver distraction; comparing the determined degree of driverdistraction to the threshold distraction value; and if the determineddegree of driver distraction is less than the threshold distractionvalue, displaying the application on the screen, and if the determineddegree of driver distraction is more than the threshold distractionvalue, preventing the display of the application on the screen; whereinthe driver interaction with the application causes the degree ofapplication distraction to be determined.
 23. The method according toclaim 22, wherein the sensor information includes information frompicture data of a camera and/or information of operating elements of thevehicle.
 24. The method according to claim 22, wherein the degree ofdriver distraction is determined when the application is foreign to thevehicle.